Public Statements

Inhofe on Fox News: Obama Failing to Comply With Law on Regulation Transparency

Press Release

On Fox News this morning, Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, exposed that the Obama administration has failed to comply with the law requiring them to publish in the Federal Register their regulatory agendas. Inhofe, a guest on Fox and Friends, revealed that it has been more than a year since the administration complied with its legal obligation to issue such a report every 6 months. Senator Inhofe announced he has sent a letter to President Obama requesting the administration adhere to its next statutory deadline. As the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Inhofe expressed specific concerns about EPA's regulatory agenda.

"As he works to preserve his own job, President Obama is covering up his administration's job-killing regulatory agenda that he will unleash in a second term," Senator Inhofe said. "The reason is simple: President Obama has spent the past four years working to kill American energy production of oil, gas, and coal. Today however, President Obama is running as fast as he can from his green energy agenda and trying to convince voters of his love of fossil fuels. Yet a look at the past four years, as well as what he has in the works at the Obama-EPA, reveals a very different story. The last thing President Obama wants to admit to is that his administration is currently actively working to regulate traditional energy resources out of existence. As bad as the economy has sputtered in Obama's first four years, you haven't seen anything yet.

"The bottom line however, is that running for election is no excuse for failing to comply with the law. President Obama owes the American public not only a full explanation on why he has failed to comply with the law, but the honest truth about the regulatory onslaught coming in a second term. No wonder the left-leaning Washington Post stated that the Obama-EPA has "earned a reputation for abuse.'"

The letter states in part:

"The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. § 602) requires federal agencies to publish in the Federal Register their regulatory agendas describing economically significant regulatory actions under development. The Act requires these agendas be published on a semiannual basis, specifically in April and October. It has come to my attention, however, that the federal government is not adhering to this legal requirement."

"As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which has jurisdiction over the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), my primary concern is with the Agency's refusal to be open and transparent about its regulatory agenda. Magnifying this concern is that EPA, in what appears to be a string of politically motivated decisions, has "punted" or put on hold until after the election a number of economically damaging regulations, including greenhouse gas regulations, strict mandates for ground-level ozone, as well as guidance which seeks to greatly expand EPA's authority to regulate waters of the U.S."

Last week Senator Inhofe released a detailed report that enumerates the slew of environmental regulations that the Obama-Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has quietly delayed or punted on before the election. As this report reveals, these rules taken together will inevitably result in the elimination of millions of American jobs, drive up the price of gas at the pump even more, impose construction bans on local communities, and essentially shut down American oil, natural gas, and coal production. Despite several media outlets requesting comment from the Obama-EPA on the report, the EPA refused to comment. The Obama-EPA silence is to be expected. As Ken Ward Jr, President of the Society of Environmental Journalists recently commented the "Obama EPA is the most difficult to get information and answers out of that I've covered in 20 years."